Voices of Women "All Girl Band" - M.O.M
When four classically trained opera singers unite on stage, it isn’t unusual for the performance to turn into a sort of “diva fest” or operatic sing-off. The stakes are even higher when said singers are transferred out of an opera house to an intimate, cabaret style venue. Fortunately, this was not at all the case with the Voices of Women in their cabaret style performance: All Girl Band: Songs of Camaraderie and Companionship. The performance was intelligent, gushing with genuine charm and anything but a stagnant classical recital.
The Voices of Women consists of four classically, trained opera singers: Elizabeth Eiel (Soprano), Melissa Gerstein (Mezzo-Soprano), Christina Rosas (Mezzo-Soprano) and Courtenay Schowalter (Soprano). The performance took place on May 18 to a mostly full house and was cabaret-style, with a varied selection of songs ranging from the world of Broadway and Operetta.
The performance was held in a venue I’d never visited, nor in fact, heard of: The Museum of Motherhood, or M.O.M. Within seconds of stepping into the welcoming lobby, adorned with pictures of mother and child, pregnant women and inspirational poetry, I was glad I’d made the trip. It turned out to be the perfect venue for ladies to share their stories and celebrations of all things women.
The program list was truly enticing. One glance at the set list, and I was pumped: Back to Before...yes! Ladies Who Lunch...Sondheim at his best!! For Good...my all time favorite female duet!! It was not this attractive song selection, nor the singers’ outstanding voices that set this performance apart, however. It was chemistry shared between the women that made this performance exceptional. As earlier stated, it is not out of the norm for these sorts of performances to turn into a sort of “highest and loudest” singing competition, especially amongst such highly trained opera singers. In this case, however, one genuinely feels that these women are, in fact, friends, and supportive friends at that. The camaraderie between the women, obvious in the storytelling, giggling, and secrets shared on the stage left the audience feeling a bit warm and gooey, exactly, I think, what they were the Voices of Women were shooting for.
The performance opened on a high note, literally, with a stellar performance of “Girl in 14G” performed by Courtenay Schowalter. While this song is often over-performed, Courtenay maintained the right mix of naivety and finesse. Her voice was versatile, with a seamless range.
Melissa Gerstein shined in her stand-out performance of “Ladies Who Lunch”. She sang with a wisdom and irony well beyond her years, and the lovely grit in her lower register was perfect for the song.
“Back to Before” from Ragtime is a given scene-stealer in any show and Christina Rosas’ performance was no exception. She didn’t fall into the trap this song often presents and withheld from being too emotional and too showy. Instead she was quietly powerful and strong. Ms. Rosas has an innate quality to draw in an audience, and this performance exemplified her strong storytelling abilities.
Elizabeth Eiel’s performance of “Christmas Lullaby” from Songs for a New World was truly a musical journey. This song was unfamiliar to me, but I was instantly drawn in. Ms. Eiel is at once vulnerable and courageous, a quality difficult to pull off on stage, and her concluding passage: “And I'll suffer any pains/For the future of the world/
Inside of me...” brought tears to my eyes, and was especially relevant in this museum.
The stand out of the night, however, was quartet’s rendition of “Hear My Song”from Jason Robert Brown’s Songs from a New World. The song highlighted the women as individual artists, but also as a coherent group and the performance was strikingly powerful. As previously mentioned, the ladies’ coherence and bond is what separates this group from others. They are an intelligent and vivacious group of women, but they are also clearly, very good friends. I was very pleased to see the more upbeat, fun-loving side to the group in this program and to hear the versatility in their voices, and they have traditionally programmed more classical, “operatic” performances.
As I exited the performance, I heard a young female audience member remark to her friend, “That was awesome, I just might become a groupie!” I agree with her, I might just become a VOW groupie myself!
For more information visit: vowsingers.com
